Orange Rolls – a favorite holiday treat
Sometime in my early teens my mother began making homemade orange rolls for Christmas morning. She would prep the dough the night before in the bread machine and set a delay so that the dough would be ready in the morning and the rolls would bake while we opened presents. It was one of my favorite Christmas traditions. The reality was this happened sporadically growing up but it was a tradition I held onto even after I stopped celebrating Christmas myself.
In college my friends and I began celebrating Yule together. We would gather for a potluck feast and spend the night feasting and playing games until the sun rose. One of my annual contributions were these Orange Rolls hot from the oven to eat after sunrise before we all went to bed.
Orange Rolls
Equipment
- Bread machine or large glass bowl
- 13×9 in glass pan
- 2 small bowls
- Clean dish towel
- Unflavored dental floss
- Liquid measuring cup
Ingredients
- 18 oz bread flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup scalded milk
- water
- 3 TBSP sugar
- 3 TBSP butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp yeast
Filling
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Zest of 2-4 large oranges
- Dash of nutmeg
- 1 to 1 1/2 sticks very soft butter but not completely liquid
Instructions
- Heat milk in microwave until steaming allow to cool to the touch add 1 egg and then water to a total volume of 11oz
In a Bread Machine
- Place all ingredients except yeast to the dough bowl, and yeast to the dispenser or on the side of the bowl away from the salt.
- Select DOUGH cycle and press Start.
Dough by hand
- Add yeast and sugar to the warm liquid, stir and allow to sit for 10 mins to proof.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, orange zest & butter, make a well & mix in the yeast liquid, stir to combine then knead for 2-3 mins,
- Rest for 20 mins then knead again and set in a warm place until doubled in size.(in the winter I turn the oven to 200 while prepping the dough then turn it off and set the dough in the warmed oven to prove covered in a clean wet dish towel)
Filling
- In separate bowl combine sugar, orange zest and nutmeg for filling.
Form Rolls
- After dough has finished, turn it out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a 16×24 inch rectangle. (To make smaller rolls split the dough and roll one at a time into 12×18 inch rectangles)
- Spread dough with butter and sprinkle evenly with orange sugar mixture
- Roll up dough into a log
- Using the dental floss cut dough into 12 even rolls. [as shown to the right] (For the smaller rolls split each roll into 12 to make 24smaller rolls)
- Pour any remaining butter into the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13 pan, and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture place rolls on top of butter and sugar.
- Cover and let rise until almost doubled (about 30 min).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bake rolls for 14-16 minutes (do not overbake!)
- Eat as baked or cover warm rolls with the Orange glaze or cool for 15-20 mins and frost with the Orange cream frosting recipes below.
The topping for orange rolls is a matter of preference, sometimes I gravitate towards the thick cream cheese frosting that reminds me of cinnabons at the mall but with a dreamsicle flavor. Other times whipping up the quick glaze to pour over warm rolls with an extra punch of orange flavor seems perfect. Both are delicious.
Orange Cream cheese frosting
Equipment
- Hand mixer or Stand mixer
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 T BSP butter
- 1 TBSP Orange Juice concentrate
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream butter, cream cheese, vanilla & juice together. Gradually add powdered sugar until desired sweetness. Thickly frost cooled orange rolls
Orange glaze
Equipment
- Whisk
- Medium Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 TBSP Orange juice concentrate
- Powdered sugar 1-2 cups
Instructions
- Melt butter & orange juice concentrate together.
- Whisk in powdered sugar until desired sweetness.
- Slather onto hot-warm orange rolls.
